


Demons in the Dark

by junko



Series: Senbonzakura's Song [29]
Category: Bleach
Genre: Anal Fingering, Anal Sex, Boys Kissing, Dark Past, Dreams and Nightmares, Hand Jobs, M/M, Master/Slave, Negotiations, Past Violence, Role Reversal, Sex Talk, So much talking, Talking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-26
Updated: 2014-08-26
Packaged: 2018-02-14 23:08:28
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,922
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2206506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/junko/pseuds/junko
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Renji wakes up from a nightmare about Inuzuri and Byakuya offers something intriguing as a balm.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Demons in the Dark

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks go to Josey (cestus) but this time for more than her usual typo-spotting and general awesomeness. Let's just say without Josey, this might have be so-fast-you'll-miss-it-if-you-blink sex. ;-)

Something woke Renji in the dark of the night. He’d been dreaming about Rukia in the Senzaikyū or maybe it had been Seichi or Katsuo in Inuzuri, but a cool, strong hand over his hammering heart brought him up out of the nightmare with a gasp.

Renji lay on his back, sprawling over the lion’s share of the bed. One of his hands was fisted in the sheets. He slowly unclenched it and blinked up into Byakuya’s impassive, moonlit face. “Sorry,” Renji murmured. “I guess I—that is, did I wake you? Oh, d’uh, obviously. Sorry. I didn’t hit you or anything, did I?”

Byakuya shook his head. His hand left Renji’s chest and he rolled over, wordlessly giving Renji his back. 

Renji scotched over to give him more room, wondering about the silent treatment. Maybe the captain was just that tired? Nah, that seemed like a persnickety sort of rolling away.

Propping himself up on an elbow, Renji leaned over Byakuya’s shoulder to try to peer into Byakuya’s face in the darkness. The only thing Renji could figure was that he had actually smacked Byakuya, maybe even hauled up and given him a hard uppercut or something like that. “Aw, if I hit you, I didn’t mean it. You know that right? Jeez, let me see it. Please tell me I didn’t hit your face.”

“You didn’t hit me, Renji,” Byakuya said, though his voice was more icy than reassuring.

Renji sat back a little, confused. So what was with the cold shoulder? Trying to fathom what’d happened, Renji twirled a bit of his unbound hair in his fingers and stared down at Byakuya’s impassive expression. The nightmare had faded to nothing more than jumbled up snatches of images of dust and dirt and a clutching sensation of helplessness. Renji wasn’t even sure who he’d been reaching for: Rukia, Seichi… or Katsuo.

Well, whatever it was Byakuya sure didn’t want to talk about it neither, so as far as Renji was concerned gone was good. He might as well try to get back to sleep. Fluffing up the pillow, he spooned up against Byakuya’s rigid back. Despite the obvious tension in Byakuya’s body language, Renji tossed his arm around Byakuya’s waist and nuzzled his nose up into Byakuya’s silken hair.

“Were you dreaming of me?” Byakuya asked suddenly.

That was a weird question. Renji’d been having a nightmare. “Why? What’d I say?”

“You told… someone that you’d do anything, pay any price, if that person just left ‘him’ out of it.“ Byakuya’s voice was dead and flat. He turned his head slightly towards Renji to ask: “Was it me? Were you dreaming of the alley?”

Had he been? No, no… the wound had been much older—though all that did get jumbled up. Still, Renji could say certainly: “It wasn’t you; it wasn’t the alley. It was Inuzuri; it was the yakuza thug that didn’t like the look of us.” Renji sucked in a breath at the memory and still, after all this time, found it hard to swallow. So, it was his turn to move away and roll over. “Fuck that day, anyway. I tried to trade away my pride, but I guess it wasn’t worth Katsuo’s life.”

The bed creaked as Byakuya shifted. “What happened?”

“It’s a stupid story. Doesn’t even end well.”

“I’d still like to hear it.”

Renji thought about saying, but I still don’t want to tell it, but instead, he let out a short breath and told the wall: “This one day—hot and muggy, probably July from the smell of it, one of those yakuza guys thought a bunch of us was looking at him funny. When Katsuo told him to fuck off and that we could care less about shit like him, we got rounded up. I didn’t know what to do. Katsuo was crying, begging me to save him, fix things. Only it ended with me in the dirt, on my knees, pissing my pants in fear, while barking like a dog. They slit Katsuo’s throat, anyway. So, you know: not my best day.”

So, it wasn’t the alley, but that whole ugly day had been successfully buried until the alley--when something broke deep inside and the memory of that horrible day rushed back to the surface. For whatever reason, Renji couldn’t shove that one back under. It was like the memory had become too slippery for him to get a proper lock on. He blamed Rukia—no, Ichigo, for being stronger, strong enough to save Rukia when Renji couldn’t, and maybe Seichi for turning up alive after all this time and bringing with him all the stink of Inuzuri’s failures.

Byakuya’s voice cut through Renji’s tangled up thoughts. “Was Rukia with you?”

Hugging himself, Renji stared at the wall. “No. Katsuo was before her time.”

Thank gods.

It was one thing for him to have crawled around on his belly in the dirt, making like a fucking dog. If they’d tried to make Rukia do it—fuck. Renji’d be dead now, that was what.

“Is this yakuza thug still around?”

That question made Renji glance over his shoulder. Byakuya had pulled himself upright, to sit with his back against the headboard. Renji tried to see what was going on in Byakuya’s mind, but couldn’t in the darkness. “Fuck if I know,” Renji said finally. “It’s not like I go back for the holidays.”

“I know,” Byakuya said tersely. “I merely thought, perhaps, if you could find this person and… bring him to justice, you might be able to put these nightmares of yours to rest, as it were.”

Renji had to roll all the way over now. Renji remembered that once Byakuya had said something, long ago about a guy he’d hunted down, years later, the one he’d used Senkei Senbonzakura Kageyoshi on. “The hell you suggesting, Taicho? If I went after everyone what did me wrong in Inuzuri, Zabimaru would have to level the place. ‘Sides, the way things are in Inuzuri, money says that guy’s been dead ten times over by now.”

“Yet he haunts you.”

“It ain’t exactly him. It’s all the things I couldn’t fight. It’s all the ways I was a shit-all onii-chan.” Renji scrubbed his face, trying to erase the whole thing.

Byakuya grabbed Renji’s hand and brought knuckles to his lips. Renji watched, wide-eyed, as Byakuya kissed the back of his hand softly. Continuing to hold on, Byakuya said, “Take comfort. You’re much stronger now.”

But not stronger than you, not so strong I don’t end with my face in the dirt, kissing your feet.

But, Renji let Byakuya hold his hand and kiss between his knuckles because there was no point bringing that up again and again. Renji knew Byakuya regretted the alley, just like Renji regretted what the demon had done. They’d hurt each other, paid for it, hurt each other again. Rinse, repeat.

Shit happens.

Which was why Renji couldn’t understand how come he couldn’t shake Katsuo’s ghost. That was so long ago. And, honestly, there’d been worse days. At least only one person had died that day, he’d gone out fast and clean—so fast he’d hardly even seemed to notice bleeding out, his eyes still wide and Renji’s name still on his lips.

Plus, Renji’s humiliation had saved the rest of them from going the same way. Renji’d never lost that much sleep over it before. Because the price had been pretty fair, as such things went: one life and injured pride for six saved. Not a bad balance. 

Especially since there’d be days Renji’d sold his pride for much, much less.

Byakuya had pried open Renji’s hand and caressed his palm with feather-light, ticklish kisses. When teeth skimmed over sensitive skin at his wrist, Renji sucked in a moaning breath. Byakuya glanced up from his ministrations to say, “I wondered what it would take to get your attention.”

Renji smiled wolfishly and gestured at the other parts that had suddenly perked up. “Yeah, well, you got it now. What’cha going to do with it, Taicho?”

“I thought perhaps you might like to banish your bad dreams by making love.”

Unconsciously, Renji held his breath, his body going rigid at the sudden thoughts of handcuffs and humblers and begging. It was just a little too close for comfort. “Uh,” Renji said to Byakuya’s frown at his reaction. “I mean… that is, don’t take this the wrong way, but… um…. No. Not that I’m not into you, uh, but I could do without handcuffs and—”

Renji stopped at Byakuya’s exasperated sigh. “I may not always be the most observant person, but I’m not a fool, Renji Abarai. After your story it seems rather obvious certain games should be shelved for the evening, that’s why I said ‘make love’ quite deliberately. I thought I might attempt to return the favor of the massage… and see what comes of it—if anything.”

“Oh.” So, like, sex without handcuffs and a backrub to boot? “I’m in.”

In fact, the moment Byakuya let go of his hand and turned to switch on the light and look for the oils, Renji sat up to pull off his cotton robe. In no time, he shucked it onto the floor. Tucking his hair out of the way, Renji lay down on his stomach and folded his arms under his head and the pillow.

Turning around, Byakuya let out a little noise of surprise. “You’re naked. So quickly.”

Renji chuckled. “It’s a skillset.”

Byakuya made an appreciative little hum and settled close to Renji’s side. After a moment of rolling up his kimono sleeves and warming up the massage oil, Byakuya spread his hands along Renji’s back. Renji expected the tentative uncertainty of someone who’d never done this before, but Byakuya’s grip was unhesitating and firm. His technique was far from flawless, but the pressure felt good and the steady confidence of the touch was comforting.

Renji let out a happy sigh. “You’re good at this. You been holding out on me, Taicho?”

Hands faltered, but quickly recovered. “Not at all. I’m merely extrapolating from my previous experiences on the receiving end.” Byakuya spent several luxurious moments squeezing the tension from Renji’s shoulders before asking, “Are you quite sure there’s nothing else bothering you? At some point tonight I stopped being your ‘babe’ and have returned to being your captain.”

Oh? Renji hadn’t consciously noticed the shift. Huh, that was kind of awkward, especially since it was usually Renji that preferred to keep rank out of the bedroom. But, Renji wasn’t sure what to say about that other than, “Sorry.”

Thumbs dug out a muscle pop or two along spine. “It’s nothing to apologize for,” Byakuya said. “I’ve long thrilled at being your commander. But….” Hands moved down to make pulling circles at lower back that made Renji groan with pleasure. They stayed there a long time, before sliding upwards. “But, it’s not difficult to connect the ways in which the alley and your experience with the yakuza thug were the same.”

Despite the deep relaxed state he was in, Renji flinched. 

Byakuya’s voice was sad and his hands left Renji guiltily. “Yes. Exactly.”

Renji rolled over and grabbed Byakuya’s hand before he could move away. “Hey now, I thought you were going to make love to me, not beat yourself up.”

“I am not—“ Perhaps realizing how much like a petulant child he sounded, Byakuya’s mouth pressed into a thin line. “Very well,” he said after a moment of regaining his composure. “You’re right. I shouldn’t make this into something it’s not.”

Renji pressed Byakuya’s hand to his chest, drawing them together. “Well, you know. You’re not exactly wrong. This probably is a little to do with all that,” he admitted, letting Byakuya feel his beating heart. “But, it is what it is.” Reaching a hand up, Renji caught the back of Byakuya’s neck and nudged them both down to the mattress for a kiss. With a little work, Renji was able to unstick pursed lips and tease open mouth. Playing with tongues, he directed Byakuya’s other hand down his chest. Parting with a smile, Renji said, “I really want this ‘making love’ thing, so why don’t you get me heels over head like a proper boyfriend?”

“Hmmm,” Byakuya said, leaning down to nibble at Renji’s ear. Then, finding the tattoo on Renji’s throat, Byakuya traced it with his tongue and teeth.

Renji turned his head to expose more of his neck. Byakuya’s hair tickled Renji’s nose. Closing his eyes, Renji breathed in the familiar, but still exciting and exotic smell. Shivers tingled down Renji’s spine, settling somewhere deep, awakening his desire. Renji’s legs shifted, wanting a body to wrap around, but Byakuya was still leaning over him, off to one side. Hooking a leg around whatever body part he could capture, Renji whined, “Get on top of me already, would you?”

Byakuya pulled away from Renji to glare down at him. His eyes were hard, but his mouth quirked in a tiny smile. “I see how it is. No restraints and already you think you can give me orders.”

“Uh…” Renji’s mouth opened first in a kind of dry mouthed-excited/shock, and then he relaxed into a grin. “Yeah, right. I wish.”

Staring into Renji’s face for a long moment, Byakuya seemed to consider something very seriously. “Would you like to?”

“Would I like to, what? Give orders during sex? To you?” Byakuya gave him a look and Renji quickly added, “I mean, who else, but seriously? Did I fall back asleep? Am I dreaming?" Renji’s whole body flushed at the thought. He clutched Byakuya’s hand on his stomach tightly. 

Byakuya made a little ‘you’re a lovable idiot’ tisk, his gaze focusing on the effect the mere suggestion had on Renji’s body. Eyes downcast, Byakuya nodded curtly. “Very well, but I reserve the right to countermand any order I find unacceptable.”

Fighting back a snort, Renji reassured him, “Of course you can say no. ‘Ichigo,’ remember?”

“Oh.” Byakuya said, a bit of color blooming on his usually pale cheeks. His gaze seemed to waver as well. “Yes, of course. And ‘konpeito.’”

Gods, just this little hesitation over the safe words was making Renji so hard, so fast. His lungs felt constricted and he was in danger of crushing Byakuya’s hand, so he let it go with effort and attempted casual: “Look, only if you want to.”

Clearly taking this all very seriously, Byakuya asked, “Out of curiosity, what would you have me do?”

Renji laughed because right now it wasn’t going to take much to get him off at all, plus it was so very Byakuya-like to want to know the lay of the battlefield before going in, as it were. But, Byakuya was looking at him so very seriously, Renji thought about it for a moment and then said, “Ah, honestly? I can only think of two things you don’t usually give me that I might want.”

“Oh? And what are those?”

“Well, my poor dick, okay? It’d be all right if one of us could touch it now and again, you know what I mean? I’m not asking for anything more than a little hand job, and I can even do myself just so long as the poor guy gets a little action.”

Byakuya seemed to be holding back a chuckle. “Very well. And the other?”

“You need to look at me. I want to see your face.” Renji nodded to add emphasis. “Yeah, especially at the big moment.”

With a blink, Byakuya said, “That’s all? That is all you would ask? Those are your only orders?”

Renji considered. He supposed he could ask Byakuya to be naked for once, too, but Renji really wanted this to work and for both of them to get to a satisfying conclusion before someone shouted for fucking Ichigo because that was going to be super-awkward—so, clothes could stay on. The silk would give Renji something to hang on to, too. Even though they were going with no restraints, Renji wasn’t planning to push the ‘no touching’ thing too much.

“Well,” Renji said at last with a wolfish grin, “There might be ‘Fuck me now!’ and Harder! Harder!’ and ‘Oh, right there, baby! Yeah, do me like that.’”

The laugh that had been building finally escaped Byakuya’s lips. “You’re a harsh and difficult master, indeed, Renji Abarai. I suppose I could consent to such orders.”

“Cool,” Renji said. The moment it was out of his mouth, Renji realized he sounded like a complete fanboy, so he cleared his throat and gave Byakuya’s side a playful slap. “You’d better get to it then, eh?”

Of course Byakuya’s gaze flared icily before he covered with a mask of demureness that almost set Renji off on the spot, especially when he murmured, “Yes, master.”

“Erk,” Renji tried not to squeak, but the noise that bubbled up was super-non-dominant and maybe even a little school-boyish. Biting his lip probably didn’t look any better, but he couldn’t help it. Renji grabbed onto the silk at Byakuya’s waist and hung on for dear life. If there was too much more of the master thing and the shy looks, Renji wasn’t going to last more than five seconds.

Byakuya’s soft laugh rumbled against Renji’s naked skin like a fluttering kiss. That clever tongue did its thing along Renji’s tattoos. Renji opened his legs letting Byakuya crawl inside the space between them. Renji followed his progress, disbelief tempered by heady lust, the soft brush of Byakuya's hair across his nipples sending one hand grabbing for the silk at Byakuya’s shoulder, and the other twisting around behind the pillows and clutching at sheets.

Spread wide, Renji felt his asshole twitching and clenching in anticipation. He suddenly needed to have something in there. “Hey, you still keep lube in your pocket?”

Byakuya glanced up. He had made it all the way down to Renji’s ribs and he looked fairly spectacular like that with his ass in the air and it was kind of a shame when his tongue slipped back into his mouth. Byakuya frowned. It was a deeply disapproving look.

Something about the exasperation in Byakuya’s eyes made Renji realize his mistake. “Oh, I mean: Give me that lube you keep in your pocket.”

The little smile said ‘hopeless,’ but Byakuya fished the tube out and handed it over. As he went back to the lines just over Renji’s abs, he muttered, “I do believe there’s a reason I’m normally the one in charge.”

“Oi, I’m just out of practice, okay?”

Byakuya smirked, though that expression changed when the bottle of lube smacked him square on the nose. “What are you--?”

“Hey, slave boy, get your fingers in me.”

“I… what?” He sounded honestly offended.

“It’s an order.” Renji reminded him with a smile, and wrapped his legs around Byakuya’s waist to give him a playful squeeze. Pressed up against him like that, Renji could feel Byakuya’s erection, hard against the cleft of his ass.

Byakuya seemed to suddenly remember the game and his eyelashes fluttered down. “Ah, yes. As you say.”

Renji let go of Byakuya’s shoulder for Byakuya to do as he asked, so he took the opportunity to stroke his cock. His other hand left the pillows to play with his nipple. 

Appreciative noises hummed in Byakuya’s throat as his fingers found their way to Renji’s hole, teasing and nudging. Renji could feel his ass pulling Byakuya’s fingers inward. Thrusting slowly, Byakuya stretched him ever wider. Renji breath was coming in huffs and sweat covered his skin.

A funny little noise from Byakuya caught Renji’s attention. “What?” he managed to gasp. 

Byakuya’s mouth worked and he finally blurted. “The reason I don’t like when you touch yourself is because then I can’t see you.” A second later he added a very belated and insincere, “If it pleases my master.”

With a laugh, Renji let his dick slip from his fingers. “Gods Almighty, we suck at this,” he said with a grin as he dug his hand into the mattress to keep from touching himself or Byakuya. “Just fucking do me already. Take me, I’m yours.”

“Oh thank gods,” Byakuya huffed. Expertly flipping aside his kimono, he gave Renji a glimpse of that gorgeous hard cock of his before lifting Renji’s hips to nudge at his opening. Even though Renji was ready for it, the stretching pressure still made him gasp as Byakuya entered him in a single thrust. He arched, raising his hips, feeling fingers tighten on his thighs, pushing them further apart. A choked cry stole up his throat. He swallowed some of it back but the rest escaped in an embarrassing moan. 

Cheeks flushing, Byakuya leaned forward, pressing one hand to the pillow beside Renji's head. The angle was great, he slid in another inch or so, finally hitting all the right places. Renji’s hand came up to grab kimono sleeve and hold on desperately as Byakuya set a hard, fast pace.

After that, all his orders for Byakuya were all along the lines of, “Oh, fuck yes! Harder!”

Thankfully, Byakuya didn't really need telling. All Renji had to do was hang on and enjoy the ride. His pleasure grew with every snap of Byakuya's hips, but without something to fight against, like restraints, it wasn't enough. He needed to touch himself.

But Byakuya had said that he liked to see. 

He was looking right now. 

His face was just above Renji's, but angled slightly downwards, and Renji could see the deep flush on his cheeks, the way his pupils dilated until they were nearly all black, and how his mouth hung open and his tongue darted out, just a little. 

Renji reached for himself and heard Byakuya whine. Then his hand was being knocked away and Byakuya's took its place. That was enough. The touch of Byakuya's hand, the scent of him, the heavy feel of his body made Renji come in a rush of desire. 

His hips pumped, voice rising as Byakuya wrung the last of it out of him with ruthless attention, then clung to whatever silk he could find as Byakuya took his own pleasure. 

Hard and fast, desperate almost. Maybe Renji wasn't the only one who needed something extra.

Renji’s hands came up to gently hold the sides of Byakuya’s face. Their eyes met, gazes locking for a second. Even though he was terrible at this sort of thing, Renji tried to draw their reiatsu together. Byakuya’s eyes went wide, clearly feeling something pass between them and then he was gone, deep into the moment. The crest of it roared through Renji’s soul and, as the orgasm twisted out an exquisite expression, Renji whispered, “Gods damn it all, you’re so beautiful.”

Finally spent, Byakuya relaxed and Renji drew him down into a deep, passionate kiss. Renji put all his emotions into every gentle nibble on lip and breathtaking sweep of tongue. They kissed like that for a long time, until Byakuya grew soft and slipped out. Renji didn’t want to stop kissing, but he could sense Byakuya’s growing tiredness.

“You’re a terrible master,” Byakuya muttered, as he settled his head against Renji’s shoulder.

Renji kissed the top of his head, as he drew a blanket around both of them. “You’re a shitty slave.”

“Agreed.”

“It was still… er, _totally_ awesome,” Renji assured him. 

“It was,” Byakuya agreed, curling into Renji’s side with a soft sigh.


End file.
